Taking center stage

Bryan Peterson is directing
the Whitworth offense and directing a play at Whitworth this year
as well.
Whitworth athletics photo

The Whitworth football team has high hopes for this season,
looking to contend with two nationally ranked programs for a
Northwest Conference title and a berth into the NCAA Division III
playoffs.

If the Pirates’ Hollywood script comes to life,
quarterback Bryan Peterson should have no problem performing on a
big stage. That’s because Peterson has plenty of on-stage
experience already.

In addition to playing quarterback for the Pirates, Peterson is
pursuing his passion for acting in the school’s theater
department.

“Ever since I’ve been little, I’ve just loved
role playing and just the idea of acting,” Peterson said.
“I never really got into it and pursued it because I was so
busy with athletics – playing three sports in high
school.

“When I went to college, I just figured I’d try a
few theater classes and see how they go. And I just immediately
fell in love and started taking more classes and more
classes.”

Peterson, now a junior at Whitworth, played baseball out of high
school. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox at age 18 and played
three years in the organization’s minor league system, rising
to the Double-A level.

When he was released in the spring of 2011, he returned home to
Spokane, Wash., looking to attend college close to home. Peterson
chose Whitworth where he is a double major in theater and
psychology, and his father convinced him to join the football
team.

“I’m definitely busy year-round,” said
Peterson, who is currently enrolled in 17 credit hours in addition
to football practices and games.

“Playing sports and playing football, you’re on a
team and there’s a lot of disciplined involved,” he
added. “And I think playing sports my whole life has helped
me to develop a really good work ethic … which has
definitely carried over to theater.”

Even in the theater, Peterson is willing to take on a lot. In
Whitworth’s spring production of the Laramie Project, the
23-year-old played seven roles.

“Playing seven different characters, I just had to be
seven different people basically – so change up the vocal
patters, change up the physicality of the characters,” he
said. “But I think people do this in their everyday life
though. They don’t treat their bosses the same way they treat
their parents.”

Because of the time requirements, Peterson is not acting in the
school’s main production this fall. But he intends to be in
the program’s main stage production this spring.

“But I’m in other things. I’m in a directing
class and I get to direct a play this semester,” said
Peterson, who has directed the Whitworth football team to a 2-1
start this season. “It’s a festival of 10-minute plays.
It’s a theater tradition that we do here at
Whitworth.”

Both football and acting require a lot of memorization. For
Peterson, keeping track of a playbook is a little more of a
challenge than keeping track of his lines in a script.

“Playing quarterback, I think memorizing the plays is a
little tougher because there is so much that goes on. You got to
know what everyone is doing and you got to read the defense at the
same time,” Peterson said. “Whereas in theater, you got
to know your lines, you got to know your blocking – where
you’re going to be when you say those lines, what kind of
actions you do and also what the other characters are doing.

“So both of them involve a lot but I think there is more
in football.”

Whitworth coach John Tully feels Peterson’s comfort in
front of people helps him excel in both disciplines.

“When you’re put on stage, it’s like when
you’re put on the field. You’re right in the
public’s eye, and I think he deals with pressure very, very
well,” said Tully, who is in his 19th season at the helm for
the Pirates. “I don’t think that pressure impacts him
in a negative way at all. I think he responds very, very
positively.

“He’s got self-confidence and he can do well in
front of the public.”

“Ever since I started doing theater things, I just feel
more free out there – whether that be on stage in the theater
or out on the field playing football,” Peterson said.
“I feel more relaxed and more free.”

Peterson, who has passed for 818 yards and two touchdowns so far
this season, credits the success he has had to his work ethic. That
is a trait he picked up while playing minor league baseball at a
young age.

“I went down to Florida on my own, and I immediately had
to take care of myself,” Peterson said. “I didn’t
really have anyone looking over me. So I really grew up in those
three years. Also, it just enhanced my work ethic and made me more
of a professional.”

Tully also pointed out Peterson’s willingness to work and
the effects it has had on him as a student-athlete.

“I think he works hard at it. He’s a really good
student and he’s a really good student of the game,”
Tully said. “He’s gifted in many different areas and he
has different interests. In a place like Whitworth he’s able
to do those things.

“He’s a guy that’s found a niche in two
different worlds, and really enjoys both of them.”

Is school, sports and plays too much for Peterson to take on at
once?

“Keeping busy makes me happy,” he said.

On the field, Whitworth rolled to wins over St. Scholastica and
Whittier to open the season. Last week, the Pirates’ comeback
bid versus La Verne came up short. But that doesn’t mean
curtains for the team’s season and goals.

“We’ve learned a lot from our first three games and
we know we can play with teams, which is good for our
confidence,” Peterson said. “But at the same time we
know that we’ve got to bring it every game.”

He added that playing conference rivals Linfield and Pacific
Lutheran – ranked Nos. 2 and 10, respectively – at home
could help the Pirates achieve their goal of competing for a
conference championship.

“The ultimate goal is to win league, get in the playoffs
and see where that takes us,” Peterson said.

MIAC mania – upsets, ugliness and reunions

A busy weekend in the MIAC was highlighted by St. John’s
upset win over St. Thomas on Saturday. The Johnnies forced five
turnovers in a 20-18 victory.

St. John’s took the lead early in the fourth quarter when
Alexi Johnson kicked a 34-yard field goal to give the Johnnies a
two-point cushion.

“I said, ‘The thing we’re missing is that
Johnnie mystique,” Fasching told the Minneapolis Star
Tribune. “We’ve lost it a little bit. From that
day forward that’s all we’ve talked about, that
we’re never going to give up.”

The Tommies took a slim lead in the third quarter on a 22-yard
touchdown pass from Matt O’Connell to Dom Truoccolo. Paul
Graupner, who tied a school record with a 53-yard kick in the first
half, missed the potential winning field goal from 32 yards out on
the final play of the game.

“It’s really amazing that we even had a shot at the
end with how poorly we played,” UST coach Glenn Caruso said
in the Star Tribune. “This is going to sting for a while.
There will be something positive that comes out of this, but I
doubt I’ll see it today.”

The loss is St. Thomas’ first regular season loss since
Oct. 17, 2009. The Tommies had won 36 regular season games in a
row, including 27 straight versus MIAC foes.

The Troll. Not just found on
the MIAC message board.

Elsewhere, Concordia-Moorhead retained the Troll in the
“ugliest rivalry” in college football with a 33-29 win
over St. Olaf Saturday.

“That’s the ugliest traveling trophy in the country,
I tell people,” Concordia-Moorhead head coach Terry Horan
told the Fargo Forum. “But it’s a good thing
that it’s here. We take a lot of pride in it.”

The Troll, which the Cobbers and Oles have played for since
1974, was even featured on ESPN’s College GameDay when Chris
Fowler displayed the creature made of moss harvested from pine
trees in Norway. Fowler also predicted a Concordia-Moorhead
victory.

Concordia has won the matchup for two years in a row and four of
the last five seasons. The Cobbers lead the all-time series
36-25-2.

Hamline welcomed Carleton to Klas Field for a reunion of
sorts.

The Pipers honored the last team to win a MIAC title. That 1988
team was coached by Dick Tressel – who now coaches wide
receivers and serves as a recruiting coordinator for Carleton.

First year Hamline head coach Chad Rogosheske and assistant
coach Luke Tressel both played for Dick at Hamline. Luke is
Dick’s son.

Carleton won the game in overtime thanks to a 20-yard field goal
by Brandt Davis. So Hamline will have to wait another week to try
and snap its 26-game MIAC losing streak.

The rest of the West

Puget Sound forced five turnovers in a 42-33 win over Whittier
Saturday, giving the Loggers their first win since Oct. 30, 2010.
Connor Savage intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble to lead the
defense while quarterback Braden Foley threw for 233 yards and
three touchdowns. … UW-Platteville scored its first two
touchdowns on defense, then John Kelly threw four more and ran for
another as the Pioneers won a shootout with Lewis and Clark, 63-34.
Platteville is now averaging 47.7 points per game after improving
to 3-0 overall. … Jacob Stull rumbled into the end zone for
a 1-yard touchdown with 38 seconds to play to lift Greenville to a
28-27 win over Eureka. Stull finished with 109 yards to keep the
Panthers undefeated. … UW-Whitewater avenged a loss to
Buffalo State, winning big Saturday, 55-14. The Warhawks, who
didn’t score a touchdown in last year’s 7-6 loss that
snapped a 46-game winning streak, raced out to a 31-0 lead in the
first half. … Erik Peterson threw three touchdown passes and
rushed for another score to help Bethel blast Buena Vista,
47-14.

Rank ’em

A total of 10 teams in the West Region are ranked in this
week’s Top 25 with six teams ranked in the top 10.

Linfield leads the way at No. 2. They moved up one spot and
garnered seven first place votes.

Bethel moved up to No. 5 – one spot ahead of rival St.
Thomas, which fell four positions after losing to St.
John’s.

UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville and Pacific Lutheran round out the
top 10 at Nos. 8, 9 and 10, respectively. UW-Whitewater moved up to
No. 12 this week.

Coe remained at No. 20 and St. John’s enters the top 25 at
No. 21. Cal Lutheran lost its second straight game to a ranked
program and dropped to No. 25.

Augsburg and Willamette also received votes in this week’s
poll.

Number of the week

42 – as in the number of minutes Coe possessed the ball in
its 10-0 shutout win over Washington U. Coe chewed up 42:17 while
the visiting Bears had the ball for just 17:43. The Kohawks marched
95 yards down the field in 10 plays for its lone touchdown of the
game and improved to 3-0 on the season.

Looking ahead

After defeating a pair of SCIAC foes – including Cal
Lutheran – Pacific Lutheran travels to UW-Eau Claire Saturday
for another non-conference game. The Lutes enter the game ranked
No. 10 but have to make the long trip to Carson Park. Meanwhile the
Blugolds should be rested coming off their bye week.

Be heard

Do you have a story idea for the Around the West column? Contact
me about approaching milestones, broken records, break-out players
or any other storylines in the West. Or just drop me a note and let
me know what you like or don’t about the column. All ideas
and feedback are welcome. Email me at josh.smith@d3sports.com or
follow me on Twitter at @DU_Josh_Smith.

Josh Smith covers high school and Division III athletics for the Daily Jefferson County Union in Fort Atkinson, Wis. He has won multiple awards for reporting and photography and contributes to multiple publications in addition to his duties at the Daily Union, including D3football.com beginning in 2012. He graduated from UW-Whitewater with a degree in print journalism.